TIM Becomes First Telecom Provider to Break the 2Gbps Barrier in 5G

With all the hype surrounding the massive
speeds consumers can come to expect from 5G connections, there has been little
delivery on those promises. Until now, that is. TIM, a telecommunications
provider in Italy, has successfully breached the 2Gbps connection speed
consistently for commercial usage. TIM acquired the rights to operate in the
26GHz millimeter-wave frequency and accomplished the feat using an Askey CPE
RTL0200 running a Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem-RF system. It represents the
first time that a live commercial 5G network has achieved this speed.

Great Ambitions

TIM doesn’t aim to stop now that they’ve
managed to deliver on the promise of 5G. The company claims it seeks to offer
coverage in up to 200 holiday destinations, 120 cities, and 245 industrial
centers by 2021. TIM has been partnering with Ericsson to enhance the
performance of their 5G networks and wireless transmission for some time. In
December 2019, the partnership brought the first video call to be completed on
a 5G network.

More Bandwidth for Use

TIM’s ambitions for 5G in 2020 and beyond
aren’t that far-fetched since more of the spectrum will become available for
companies to use it for 5G distribution. As more of the spectrum opens up,
connections in the 800MHz space and 1000MHz space will allow for more
opportunities. Connections in this range will likely do a lot to fulfill the
promise of 5G, offering faster connection and lower latency than current mobile
networks.

5G Rollouts Continue Worldwide

Despite a few engineers having some
concerns about how good 5G is for the general population, telecommunication
companies have already started rolling out 5G networks around the world. In the
US and UK, speeds haven’t yet passed the 2Gbps standard as yet, but providers
remain positive that it’s only a matter of time. In Brazil, the development of
5G networks is being delayed by their bidding process, putting them behind in
the international mobile communications race.